Professional Learning • Think / Sort / Discuss
What thinking does the task require?
Place each rigor card along the continuum from lower to higher cognitive demand. Be ready to explain your reasoning.
0 of 12 cards placed
Cognitive-demand continuum
Drag a card onto the continuum, or click a card and then click where you want to place it. Move cards as your thinking changes. Cards may share a position.
Lower cognitive demandHigher cognitive demand
Place your first card anywhere along the line.
On a smaller screen, scroll sideways to see the entire continuum. For keyboard sorting, select a card with Enter, then use the position slider’s arrow keys.
Unsorted cards
All cards are on the continuum. Revisit your placements and discuss your reasoning.
Discuss your sort
- What thinking must students actually do in each task?
- Which placement was hardest to decide? What additional context would help?
- Does completing more problems increase cognitive demand? Why or why not?
- How might the text, question, or novelty of a problem change your placement?
- Do the two checks for understanding tell us about cognitive demand, evidence of learning, or both?
- Choose one card. How could you increase its cognitive demand while keeping the learning goal clear?
Use this as a discussion sort. Context can change a task’s demand, and the checks for understanding alone do not specify the level of student thinking. Lower-demand tasks can serve a useful purpose within a lesson.